Spring Break Sunscreen Tips!

by Eva Chen

Dr. Ted Lain of Steiner Ranch Dermatology in Austin, Texas recently shared some really helpful sunscreen tips with yours truly. Just in time for spring break! Read on to be sun-smart!

"The best and the newest sunscreens to hit drug store shelves are the Helioplex line from Neutrogena, and the Mexoryl line from L'Oreal. Helioplex and Mexoryl are two sunscreen ingredients that protect against UVA rays, which historically been very difficult to block using sunscreens. The reason is that the UVA-blocking sunscreens are very unstable and are quickly inactivated when exposed to the sunlight. Helioplex and Mexoryl, however, stabilize UVA blocking sunscreens and allow them to work for a much longer period of time.

Understanding why you need a sunscreen and what a tan really does to your skin is the key to younger healthier skin. So what does a tan mean to your body, besides darker skin? A tan is your body's response to an injury - sunlight causes damage to the DNA in the skin cells, which triggers the pigment producing cells to work harder. The pigment they produce, called melanin, literally provides a sun shade over the DNA of the cells, protecting them from future sun damage. So as the damage increases, the pigment production increases, and your tan gets darker."